Spain vs Costa Rica is our first chance to see these two Hispanophone countries play in the World Cup 2022, as part of a busy day that also brings us games from Germany, Canada, Belgium and Japan.
Playing just hours after their groupmates (we've got a guide on how to watch Germany vs Japan here), Spain vs Costa Rica sees two Spanish-speaking countries go head-to-head, and the result will undoubtedly affect which of the four teams progress.
So if you're a fan of either team, or just want to see 90 minutes of fantastic footie, this guide shows you how to watch the Spain vs Costa Rica game of the 2022 World Cup.
How to watch Spain vs Costa Rica in the US
Spain vs Costa Rica's kick-off time is at 11 am ET/8 am PT.
If you want to watch coverage of these two countries in their own language, Peacock is airing a simulcast of Telemundo's coverage on its free tier in Spanish. This is the penultimate game being shown this way, before you're required to pay for Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month).
For English coverage, Fox is showing all the World Cup 2022 games, and this one is airing on its main channel. If you have a traditional cable subscription you can watch it using that but if not, live TV streaming services like FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV or Sling TV can be used. Alternatively, you can just use foxsports.com.
How to watch Spain vs Costa Rica in the UK
In the UK, kickoff for Spain vs Costa Rica is 4 pm.
The game airs on ITV 1, so as long as you have a TV licence you're free to watch it. You can also stream it on the brand-new ITVX, and we have a guide on how to stream live TV on ITVX or the ITV Hub here.
Welsh-language coverage takes place on S4C.
How to Spain vs Costa Rica watch from anywhere
If you're going to be away from home but still want to watch the Spain vs Costa Rica game, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you'll be able to solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (a VPN).
A VPN lets you get around digital barriers by changing your IP address, meaning you can watch the your normal broadcasts despite being where they are not easily offered. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
Spain vs Costa Rica important information
When does Spain vs Costa Rica kick off?
Spain vs Costa Rica kicks off in Qatar at 7 pm local time.
That converts to 11 am ET/8 am PT/4 pm GMT, so it's not too early or late anywhere around the world.
Where does Spain vs Costa Rica take place?
Spain and Costa Rica meet on the field at the Al Thumama Stadium in Al Thumama, Qatar.
This is a large arena built especially for the World Cup, with a capacity of 44,000. The second game of the cup, Senegal vs The Netherlands, took place in the stadium.
Spain's squad
Unai
Azpilicueta
Rodri
Laporte
Alba
Busquets
Gavi
Pedri
Ferran
Asensio
Olmo
Costa Rica's squad
Navas
Oviedo
Calvo
Waston
Duarte
Fuller
Bennette
Tejeda
Borges
Campbell
Contreras.
What you need to know about Spain vs Costa Rica
Spain and Costa Rica don't have a long history of football friendlies, but looking at the their few matches doesn't exactly give a sunny forecast for Costa Rica.
When the teams last met, in 2017, Spain won 5-0. Ouch. Spain is also the only one of the two to have ever won the World Cup, though that was back in 2010 and the squad only has one member left from those days (Sergio Busquets).
So it's not necessarily looking amazing for Costa Rica, but it's always worth bearing in mind that if the World Cup provides one thing in spades, it's underdog stores.
Take, for example, Saudi Arabia vs Argentina, one of the first games of the tournament: the South American champions lost to the Middle Eastern team.
So Costa Rica will need to provide a really impressive game to get out of the group stage, especially with Germany another team it needs to prove itself against, but it can certainly be done.
